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NACTEL Distance Learning Fits Members' Working Family Lifestyles
Local 2109 member Shannon Ray Peterson balances parenting an 11-year-old with his duties as a Verizon systems technician, and spends several hours a day commuting. A single parent, he hoped for a better job closer to home but knew he needed a college degree. So, he signed up through NACTEL to earn the online associate's degree in telecommunications offered by Pace University in White Plains, N.Y.
Peterson, who lives in West Virginia, didn't have to travel to New York. His classes and instructors came to him, via the Internet and his computer. Now he is completing his degree and graduating, along with 20 other CWA members who have invested their time and energy into furthering their education and improving their lives.
Union/Industry Standard
The telecommunications degree program at Pace, sponsored by the National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning, was developed by CWA, the Electrical Workers and several major telecom employers in 1998, when the industry was predicting huge shortages of technicians.
Bargained-for tuition assistance is available to members employed by NACTEL partners Qwest, SBC, Verizon and Frontier/ Citizens Communications, and other CWA members qualify for discounted rates.
"Since NACTEL was launched in fall 1999, over 1,375 students have taken at least one course, and each year the graduating class gets larger," CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said. This May, the program graduated 50 students in all, the highest number yet.
Flexible, Determined, Ambitious
Local 13000 member Mary Kane, a Verizon switching equipment technician, was concerned about job security. A single parent of two teenagers, she found that online learning fit her lifestyle.
"I could be home at night, cook dinner and drive my kids to wherever they needed to be. It has worked for me," Kane said.
Dixon Kavanaugh of Local 7901 started his NACTEL studies in March 2001 while employed by Qwest. Soon faced with a layoff, he opted for a severance package that allowed him to continue his studies. He saw earning a degree as a chance to make a better life for himself, his wife and three children, and he stuck with his studies despite the death of his father and having to relocate his family. His persistence paid off in a new job marketing data networking systems.
"I wouldn't be even close to where I am today were it not for the NACTEL program," Kavanaugh said.
Many students enter the program with the goal of career advancement. Local 1298 member Janette Miller, a central office attendant at SBC, wants to move into a more technical position at the company. So she signed up for the NACTEL program, which teaches the basics of telephone, voice and data transmission systems, as well as broadband, wireless and voice over IP.
"This was very challenging for me since I had been out of school for 20 years and had little experience with computers. With the help of the teachers and my classmates at Pace, I did better than I ever expected, " Miller said.
Scott Bross a Local 7102 member and customer communications technician at Qwest, entered the program at the urging of his shop steward and local Treasurer Barb Harrington. He enjoys his job but wanted to learn more about the technology he was using.
"I have remote access to most of the equipment because I'm troubleshooting T-1 lines at work. Problems are always turning up, but now I can solve them," Bross said. "I use the information I've learned from Pace almost every day."
To learn more about NACTEL, careers for telecom technicians and tuition assistance for CWA members, visit: www.nactel.org/cwa. Other technical and IT training is available through the CWA/NETT Academy at www.cwanett.org.
Peterson, who lives in West Virginia, didn't have to travel to New York. His classes and instructors came to him, via the Internet and his computer. Now he is completing his degree and graduating, along with 20 other CWA members who have invested their time and energy into furthering their education and improving their lives.
Union/Industry Standard
The telecommunications degree program at Pace, sponsored by the National Coalition for Telecommunications Education and Learning, was developed by CWA, the Electrical Workers and several major telecom employers in 1998, when the industry was predicting huge shortages of technicians.
Bargained-for tuition assistance is available to members employed by NACTEL partners Qwest, SBC, Verizon and Frontier/ Citizens Communications, and other CWA members qualify for discounted rates.
"Since NACTEL was launched in fall 1999, over 1,375 students have taken at least one course, and each year the graduating class gets larger," CWA Executive Vice President Larry Cohen said. This May, the program graduated 50 students in all, the highest number yet.
Flexible, Determined, Ambitious
Local 13000 member Mary Kane, a Verizon switching equipment technician, was concerned about job security. A single parent of two teenagers, she found that online learning fit her lifestyle.
"I could be home at night, cook dinner and drive my kids to wherever they needed to be. It has worked for me," Kane said.
Dixon Kavanaugh of Local 7901 started his NACTEL studies in March 2001 while employed by Qwest. Soon faced with a layoff, he opted for a severance package that allowed him to continue his studies. He saw earning a degree as a chance to make a better life for himself, his wife and three children, and he stuck with his studies despite the death of his father and having to relocate his family. His persistence paid off in a new job marketing data networking systems.
"I wouldn't be even close to where I am today were it not for the NACTEL program," Kavanaugh said.
Many students enter the program with the goal of career advancement. Local 1298 member Janette Miller, a central office attendant at SBC, wants to move into a more technical position at the company. So she signed up for the NACTEL program, which teaches the basics of telephone, voice and data transmission systems, as well as broadband, wireless and voice over IP.
"This was very challenging for me since I had been out of school for 20 years and had little experience with computers. With the help of the teachers and my classmates at Pace, I did better than I ever expected, " Miller said.
Scott Bross a Local 7102 member and customer communications technician at Qwest, entered the program at the urging of his shop steward and local Treasurer Barb Harrington. He enjoys his job but wanted to learn more about the technology he was using.
"I have remote access to most of the equipment because I'm troubleshooting T-1 lines at work. Problems are always turning up, but now I can solve them," Bross said. "I use the information I've learned from Pace almost every day."
To learn more about NACTEL, careers for telecom technicians and tuition assistance for CWA members, visit: www.nactel.org/cwa. Other technical and IT training is available through the CWA/NETT Academy at www.cwanett.org.